Sunday, April 30, 2006

To Zion

If you want to clear your head, I highly suggest a trip to Zion National Park. Do it before May is up, before the crowds catch on to the very perfect weather there. Granted, it might be out of the way for some. For me, however, it's very nearly my backyard (give or take the 4-5 hours it takes to drive there). It's an opportunity I haven't always taken advantage of, but I'd like to change that in the future. In fact, I will. This is my written promise.I like to hike. I'm not so keen on the climbing aspect of things (scaling sans ropes makes me sick thinking about it), but that may change. I like it when my hands smell like rock. I like to come upon an unsuspecting deer and communicate a spell with our eyes alone. I like it when the outdoors feels not unlike a large air-conditioned bus in the Philippines. I even like the part when you scale Angel's Landing 2.5 miles up, come down with the Jell-O knees and have what climbers refer to as the "Elvis leg" phenomenon. Uncontrollable leg twitching. I like the peace and solitude you're able to attain a few thousand feet up, atop a rock. The air really is nicer up there.Other things that wear well: a camp site next to the Virgin River, falling asleep and waking up to its current, friendly old man RV'ers who save tents from high winds, sun-warmed oranges and granola bars and, well, there's plenty more where that came from. A much needed trip to get away from it all merited the much desired peace of mind I was seeking. Mother Nature delivers. I am a grateful man.

4 comments:

gorgeous photos! it looks so warm there. maybe it's the lack of oxygen that leads to a clearer mind in places up high. but it really does work. the smell of the hot desert mountains is irreplaceable by anything else.

It's perfect weather there right now. If I were a guessing man (and I am), I'd say it hung around in the 70s and low 80s all weekend. It was lovely. The month of May will be just as lovely down that way. Suggestion: Get there during the week rather than trying on a Saturday. Less crowded and more room to breathe.

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I am a writer, a poet, a dreamer, a beachcomber, an aspiring photographer, an occasional swimmer, a seeker of good fish tacos, a talker, a thinker, an enthusiast, a lover AND a fighter. Oh, I also love the music.